Block Party (Terrain Ex. Pg.124 - 2Million Blocks)

Author Topic: Block Party (Terrain Ex. Pg.124 - 2Million Blocks)  (Read 232205 times)

there should be a bar for weapons at the top, and a disableable bottom brick bar
top bar should have a slider in settings for how many weapons to show at once (client) and how many to limit it to (server)

Why would your big inventory not be your backpack?
Why would you have a "secondary" inventory that can hold more than your backpack can?

I think we should stick to two places to keep items.
1. Hotbar for keys 1-0
2. Backpack with variable capacity defined by the gamemode
Anything extra is too much.

We could also have an interface to interact with storage bricks like chests and crates and things.
« Last Edit: May 21, 2018, 11:34:12 PM by /dev/sr0 »

Thanks for the feedback guys. I think I have an idea of how it'll work; I'll start working on another concept and see what ya'll think. Items and bricks will be separated, and the "Secondary Inventory" in the center could instead be used for a backpack, storage brick, etc. (with tabs to switch between them). The item and brick hotbars could also eventually be adjustable in size (defined by the gamemode or playertype).

what's the point in having multiple inventories? they all appear to be exactly the same. and they are quite large. I think if you're going to have any inventory like that it should be optional, and customizable (by client code, not the end user (necessarily)), specifically for like..... game modes, like RPGs or something. then focus more on making the sandbox menus convenient and accessible so that there's no need to have an inventory at all in a sandbox mode, which there really shouldn't be in the first place

also I wanna be clear, because in the past I think I have seen that this is something I should make clear, that I'm not saying you're just doing a bad job or whatever. it's important to think about these things and see what other people have to say, because input is valuable and can help you realize things you might not have seen before. not because you might just be wrong
« Last Edit: May 21, 2018, 09:41:11 PM by Foxscotch »

Thanks for the feedback guys. I think I have an idea of how it'll work; I'll start working on another concept and see what ya'll think. Items and bricks will be separated, and the "Secondary Inventory" in the center could instead be used for a backpack, storage brick, etc. (with tabs to switch between them). The item and brick hotbars could also eventually be adjustable in size (defined by the gamemode or playertype).
I'm not sure tabs is the best way to do that.
How do I move an item from the storage to my inventory? Click the item, then click the tab, then click where I want to put it?
I think the interface for storage bricks should show both inventories at once just for the sake of not overcomplicating things.

what's the point in having multiple inventories? they all appear to be exactly the same. and they are quite large. I think if you're going to have any inventory like that it should be optional, and customizable (by client code, not the end user (necessarily)), specifically for like..... game modes, like RPGs or something. then focus more on making the sandbox menus convenient and accessible so that there's no need to have an inventory at all in a sandbox mode, which there really shouldn't be in the first place

also I wanna be clear, because in the past I think I have seen that this is something I should make clear, that I'm not saying you're just doing a bad job or whatever. it's important to think about these things and see what other people have to say, because input is valuable and can help you realize things you might not have seen before. not because you might just be wrong
I appreciate the advice. Also, the window on the left would only appear if you're accessing a storage brick or vehicle's inventory, and the window on the right will only show if you're carrying a backpack; they're meant for RPGs and would only accessible if you have the corresponding RPG items / bricks enabled. Instead of relying on external add-ons to add RPG features, I'm planning on having them builtin (yet be toggleable), so players can host that type of server right away if they wish. Also, third party add-ons will be able to expand upon or overwrite those features if desired.


I'm not sure tabs is the best way to do that.
How do I move an item from the storage to my inventory? Click the item, then click the tab, then click where I want to put it?
I think the interface for storage bricks should show both inventories at once just for the sake of not overcomplicating things.
So you don't mind the current layout of the inventory GUI? I know you suggested being able to modify the size based on gamemode or playertype settings.
« Last Edit: May 22, 2018, 01:24:59 PM by [GSF]Ghost »

So you don't mind the current layout of the inventory GUI? I know you suggested being able to modify the size based on gamemode or playertype settings.
My problem with the current layout was that there's a "Secondary Inventory" that for some reason is larger than the backpack.
And I'm not even sure what "Object Inventory" is supposed to be.

Imo, the only time there should be more than one inventory and a hotbar on screen is when accessing a storage container like a chest, in which case there should be two. One for the player's backpack, and one for the chest.
« Last Edit: May 22, 2018, 01:11:37 PM by /dev/sr0 »

you only need two inventories: brick and item. adding 'primary' and 'secondary' inventories is just obfuscating your item system. you dont need an arbitrarily sized inventory either, just make the brick inventory determined by the amount of bricks on the server, and the item inventory determined by a field on the player class

you can see blockland does the inventory system pretty well, there's no reason to try to differ from an already fine-tuned system just to be different. dont be afraid to copy some aspects of a polished game, because those aspects are also polished

you only need two inventories: brick and item. adding 'primary' and 'secondary' inventories is just obfuscating your item system. you dont need an arbitrarily sized inventory either, just make the brick inventory determined by the amount of bricks on the server, and the item inventory determined by a field on the player class

you can see blockland does the inventory system pretty well, there's no reason to try to differ from an already fine-tuned system just to be different. dont be afraid to copy some aspects of a polished game, because those aspects are also polished
Don't make the brick inventory an inventory in the first place.
It should be a catalog with categories, kind of like BL's.
The brick-picking part of the UI shouldn't be related to the inventory at all.

Instead of relying on external add-ons to add RPG features, I'm planning on having them builtin (yet be toggleable), so players can host that type of server right away if they wish.
I don't think that would be my approach. that sort of thing should probably be provided by add-ons. they could definitely be add-ons you make that are included with the game by default, and I think that would actually provide additional benefits, like giving you an opportunity to actually work with whatever interface it is that you wind up making for extending the game, to see whether it really is practical, and useful, instead of just looking at it from the outside perspective of the designer
also just the idea of including something so opinionated as an inherent part of a sandbox game like this seems a little........ not ideal

Will it be easily fully modable like Blockland/Roblox?

Random concept/mockup image for brick window... (searchbox looks horrible... programmer art ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)



Regarding the inventory discussion, how about...

  • While not in a minigame you have two 'inventories': The toolbelt (same as blockland, holding any kind of item) and the brick-bucket (also same as blockland, holding everything you can 'plant'). Both inventories can be shown/hidden/pinned on your screen.
  • While in a minigame you have one inventory, shown as a hotbar, of arbitrary (custom) size and shape.
  • Accessing the inventory of some object (brick, vehicle, bot, ...) is possible at any time, regardless of minigame.
  • A player can also have an extra 'backpack' inventory; there are no restrictions here.

Better? Suggestions?

Random concept/mockup image for brick window... (searchbox looks horrible... programmer art ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

snip

Regarding the inventory discussion, how about...

  • While not in a minigame you have two 'inventories': The toolbelt (same as blockland, holding any kind of item) and the brick-bucket (also same as blockland, holding everything you can 'plant'). Both inventories can be shown/hidden/pinned on your screen.
  • While in a minigame you have one inventory, shown as a hotbar, of arbitrary (custom) size and shape.
  • Accessing the inventory of some object (brick, vehicle, bot, ...) is possible at any time, regardless of minigame.
  • A player can also have an extra 'backpack' inventory; there are no restrictions here.

Better? Suggestions?
Yeah, I like it but...

Again, if the inventory has variable size, why have a second inventory?
Just call the main one "backpack" and don't add another.
Or don't call it that, idc.
There's no reason for a user to have two inventories when the main one can just be made larger.
« Last Edit: May 23, 2018, 10:04:19 AM by /dev/sr0 »

Then how about letting the player have only one inventory for items (ignoring bricks here!), at the minimum being a hotbar, which can be extended to any number of slots? The first 9-or-so slots (configurable) can be shown as hotbar on the HUD, with the remainder (also configurable) being hidden like a backpack, accessible by a keypress.

I don't think that would be my approach. that sort of thing should probably be provided by add-ons. they could definitely be add-ons you make that are included with the game by default, and I think that would actually provide additional benefits, like giving you an opportunity to actually work with whatever interface it is that you wind up making for extending the game, to see whether it really is practical, and useful, instead of just looking at it from the outside perspective of the designer
also just the idea of including something so opinionated as an inherent part of a sandbox game like this seems a little........ not ideal
I can release it as an external add-on if that would be best. But yeah, I would like to have some type of RPG system players can use right away, once the game is released. It would also provide an easy reference for those who want to make their own later on as well.

Will it be easily fully modable like Blockland/Roblox?
We're planning on making modding as easy as possible (with plenty of resources and reference material for content creators). It should basically be the same as Blockland's level of modability, and might also include support for changing brick textures, GUI graphics, etc. We haven't gotten that far yet, so we'll go into detail regarding that later on.



What I'm thinking for the inventory is having the item hotbar as usual (in the bottom-center of the screen). When you have a "brick tool" in one of your hands, a second "brick" inventory hotbar will appear above that, allowing you to wield a gun and build at the same time. It also shouldn't occupy too much of the screen; if necessary the GUIs can easily be rescaled. Also, if you have a backpack, the additonal inventory hotbars will appear above the items bar, with the amount of slot columns and rows determined by the item's datablock. When you're viewing a storage brick's or vehicle's inventory, that inventory window will show up in the center or top-center of the screen, which will minimize the amount of windows and GUIs the player has to manage. All of the inventories will most likely be adjustable in size as well.

I'm working on a mockup example, and will post it soon.
« Last Edit: May 23, 2018, 01:20:08 PM by [GSF]Ghost »